Top 5 Goals: CONCACAF Women’s Championship and NWSL Matchday 9
The July 4 weekend slate of soccer matches made the holiday even more fun. The USWNT took on Haiti, and the NWSL resumed action after the international break. The fans got a little of everything–some dramatic late goals, direct free kicks, back heel flicks, and some long-distance strikes. Let’s look at the best women’s soccer goals from the CONCACAF Women’s Championship and the NWSL.
5. Yasmeen Ryan – Portland Thorns
The Assist 👏 The Finish 👏 @ThornsFC scores with seconds left in the game to make it 1-1! #LAvPOR | #AllTheAction pic.twitter.com/lspnTyENRv
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 2, 2022
Angel City FC was seconds away from getting a huge win, but Maddie Pogarch and Yasmeen Ryan had other ideas.
Pogarch did well to beat a defender on the byline to give her open space to run into. Once she saw her teammates in the box, Pogarch then let it rip with a peach of a cross that had pace, power, and curve. It was begging to be headed in, and Yasmeen Ryan showed more desire than her defender and emphatically elevated over her to smash the header home. A huge point saved for the Thorns, thanks to Pogarch and Ryan.
4. Vanessa DiBernardo – Chicago Red Stars
DIBERNARDO DOUBLES THE LEAD 💥#MKOT | #AllTheAction pic.twitter.com/moMZe5jVHM
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 2, 2022
A pro’s pro, Vanessa DiBernardo is as steady as ever for the Chicago Red Stars. The University of Illinois alum is dangerous when given room to operate outside the box.
Once the midfielder saw her opening, she displayed her finesse with a quick step to get around a defender and then caressed the ball into the net as if it were a pass. It was a lovely piece of skill from DiBernardo, who is easily one of the more underrated players in the league.
3. Kylie Strom – Orlando Pride
Bend it like Strom 😍
Heck of a first career goal!@ORLPride | #PrideOfOrlando pic.twitter.com/zar2XUVjaX
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 4, 2022
Orlando might have found a gem in Kylie Strom as a potential starter moving forward. The defender has experience abroad with Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic and Atletico Madrid in Spain. Those experiences have certainly helped her since coming back to the NWSL with Orlando.
Strom might be a defender, but this was a striker’s finish. A quick touch onto her right foot followed by opening up her hips allowed her to curl her shot into the far corner. Not a bad way to score your first-ever goal for Orlando. Hopefully, it’s the first of many more.
2. Alex Morgan – USWNT
.@alexmorgan13 🤌🤌🤌
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) July 4, 2022
Alex Morgan’s hot run of form continued for her country against Haiti, and this goal is as cheeky as it gets. Mallory Pugh came down the right flank and saw Morgan making her run to the near post. Pugh almost takes a little power off her cross, allowing Morgan to make a mid-air adjustment and use a gorgeous back heel flick.
The keeper was clearly taken off guard, and the ball slid into the net perfectly. When Alex Morgan is scoring goals like this, she’s literally unguardable.
1. Savannah DeMelo – Racing Louisville
Savannah DeMel-OH 🤩@Savannah_DeMelo | @RacingLouFC pic.twitter.com/h500DiS1Ui
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 4, 2022
Savannah DeMelo is living up to the hype right now for Racing Louisville. There are hours of work on the training ground behind the scenes that people don’t see. This free-kick strike is the result of all that hard work.
When the ball is right on the 18-yard-box, the degree of difficulty automatically goes up because of less room to get the ball around the wall and in. DeMelo still had a nice angle to try and curl the ball, but the execution still needed to be spot on.
DeMelo let it fly, and the ball literally did fly into the top corner with power and pace–an absolute rocket. This is how you strike a football. Take a bow Savannah DeMelo because this was brilliant.
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